Hengming Zou, PhD’99, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
by Davi Napoleon
July, 2006 issue of eTrueBlue

Hengming Zou, PhD'99, who teaches computer science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, came to Ann Arbor in the fall of 1996 to study engineering. The breadth of U-M's offerings in liberal arts, music, medical science and sports impressed him. "The beautiful campus, state of the art facility and the quality of its faculty also attracted me," he recalls. "I love music and like to study in an environment where other fields are also strong."

In 1997, he served as president of U-M's Chinese Students and Scholars Association. Under his administration, there were a couple of contentious issues. "At one time, the number of emails I received exceeded 100 per day," says Zou. "But I was able to focus on the work and provide valuable service to the Chinese community."

He also focused on his academic work, achieving top grades in all his classes and completing his doctorate after just three years of study-unprecedented in the department of electrical engineering and computer science. After working at EMC Corporation for three and a half years, he moved to China with his wife, Leilei, who was a senior software design engineer at EMC. "She now runs a consulting company that provides study tour for MBA students abroad and conference hosting," says Zou.

Daniell Chen, MBA’00, Starts Alumni Groups in China
by Davi Napoleon
May, 2006 issue eTrueBlue:China

Daniell Chen, MBA'00, is a trailblazer. Since graduating from the U-M Ross School of Business, he not only has launched a successful career in Shanghai, China, but also two alumni organizations.

"When I was at the business school, there was a map with small flags that indicated where alumni groups were located," recalls Chen. "There was a big space for China, but there were no flags!"

Chen decided even before graduating and returning to China that he would start a U-M alumni club for MBA graduates.

Once he was in Shanghai, Chen started establishing contacts with other U-M business school grads and in 2001 the U-M MBA group began. The group started with only a few members. Back then, very few Chinese students attended the University's business school, and they often remained in the United States after graduation. Today, the Chinese student population has grown and more are returning to China to pursue career opportunities. As a result, the group has grown to include more than 100 members.

Chen says the group's goal is to provide a platform for all alumni to advance their lives, both professionally and personally. The group also plans events (career seminars, dinners, happy hours) for its members, as well as events for prospective students to help promote the University of Michigan.

"We share our academic experiences with prospective students, tell them about life in Ann Arbor and why we chose Michigan," said Chen.

The club, together with the support of the business school, has coordinated and held three informational seminars in Beijing and Shanghai for interested college-bound students. The club also hosts an admitted student reception, as well as a student send-off party before the students leave for Ann Arbor.

Word spread quickly about the group and its efforts and Shanghai alumni from other universities were interested in joining. As a result, a second alumni group was formed-the Shanghai MBA Network. The group has more than 600 members from 12 top US business schools: Michigan, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Chicago, Wharton, NYU Stern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Northwestern, Cornell and Columbia.

"We already have a few alumni who have found business opportunities during our events and some have even found their true love," said Chen.

Chen said the U-M Shanghai club continues to grow and a number of people are now involved in planning the club's activities.

"We use joint efforts among our alumni-not one single person," said Chen. "We are going to [continue to] build the club, develop a Web page and share various responsibilities among key members to plan activities more efficiently."

For information about the U-M MBA alumni group, contact Chen at 86-13816118444 or send an email to umchina@gmail.com.

Sean Zhang, PhD'90, Starts Own Business
by Davi Napoleon
September, 2006 issue of eTrueBlue:China

Sean Zhang likes to hike, garden and golf. He enjoys eating at Hunan restaurants and taking long walks in Summer Palace “reflecting on the Chinese history and thinking through things I have encountered.” But it isn’t always easy to make time for his interests. “In Beijing, we normally work long hours, swamped by many things, which leaves us not much time for fun,” he says.

Perhaps Zhang is so busy because Beijing has grown rapidly and his responsibilities have grown with it–responsibilities that he prepared to take on by studying at U-M.

He transferred to U-M in 1983 after a brief stint at New York University. “Among those who were groomed by the government to come to the US to study, U-M has the reputation of being the most friendly with Chinese students,” he says. “I, being from the countryside in China, also preferred a more rural setting.” Seven years later, he had earned a doctorate from U-M in software engineering.

After graduation, he headed to the West Coast to work for Aldus, a computer company in Seattle that Adobe acquired some time later. “I love the natural beauty of Seattle. I especially like the software industry there,” he says. In 1994, he joined one of America’s top companies there, Microsoft, which sent him back to China to start up a research and development center. “It was truly a great experience to be able to write software for hundreds of millions of users. It is also a great experience to be able to work together with many talented people.”

During his 10 years with Microsoft in China, “I have seen the rapid growth of China, especially Beijing. Anyone who left Beijing for three years would not be able to recognize the cityscape due to its ever-changing landscape.” Sometimes, he wondered if he stayed with Microsoft too long. “I have seen many opportunities in China, and many friends of mine have taken advantage of those opportunities. They went on to become the wealthiest people in China by listing their companies on NASDAQ.”

Soon, it was his turn to create a company. “I have a very strong desire to do great things for Chinese consumers at this monumental time,” he says, explaining why he finally retired from Microsoft and started a new broadband video service business in Beijing. “The broadband video service business provides interactive video and other forms of video service. People can watch virtually any program at anytime and, at the same time, participate in those programs. The business model and opportunity are limitless due to its paradigm-shifting technology and platform. It is a new revolution since the invention of TV. UiTV is one of the two companies I helped start.”

“The experience of working in a start-up is totally different from working in Microsoft,” he continues. “Every day we have to worry about building products [and providing] service in time, generating revenue and controlling cost. We worry about our vision; we also worry about our execution ability. The fact is that it was not easy to start up. We burned a lot of money, saw limited results. We are lucky to have venture capitalists’ support, but it is also stressful to spend someone else’s money.”

Even with his hectic schedule, Zhang makes time for U-M events in China, often with the help of his twin daughters and his wife, Charlene, who lived in Ann Arbor for five years and also is passionate about U-M. He was instrumental in arranging the recent visit of the U-M delegation to Beijing.

Editor’s note: In upcoming issues of e-TrueBlue: China, we’ll spotlight U-M alumnae Elisabeth Strunk Effron, an American artist who has made a home in Shanghai, and LiLi Leung, who helps plan the Olympics from an office in Beijing.